16.2: ¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Variable-Temperature NMR

The axial and equatorial protons in cyclohexane can be distinguished by performing a variable-temperature NMR experiment. In this process, except for one proton, the remaining eleven protons are replaced by deuterium. The deuterium substitution avoids the possible peak splitting caused by the spin-spin coupling between the adjacent protons. The remaining proton flips between the axial and equatorial positions.

Figure 1. The temperature-dependent proton NMR spectra of cyclohexane.

Figure 1 depicts the proton NMR spectrum of the deuterium substituted sample, recorded at various temperatures. At room temperature, the rapid ring flipping of cyclohexane results in a single sharp peak. As the temperature is lowered to −60°C, the rate of chair-chair interconversion reduces, resulting in the broadening of the peak.

Further lowering of the temperature broadens the peak, forming a saddle that splits into two peaks. On reaching a temperature lower than −89°C, two sharp, well-resolved peaks corresponding to the equatorial and axial protons are formed. The peaks corresponding to the equatorial and axial protons occur at δ 1.62 and 1.14, respectively. At such low temperatures, the rate of chair-chair interconversion is reduced significantly, enabling the detection of the two distinct sets of protons on the NMR time scale.